No Regrets (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
by ilna
Summary: An evening with friends prompts a memory from Steve and Catherine's past and a conversation about their relationship.


**Notes:** Mari and Sammy – I definitely have no regrets about embarking on this amazing journey with you two. Thank you for the support, the laughs, and above all, the friendship.

Esther – thanks, as always, for your wonderful feedback. So excited that soon it will be my turn!

REAL McRollers – you continue to amaze and touch me with your unending support of the REAL World. Thank you!

You know by now that I love the flashbacks - hope you enjoy!

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><p><em>No Regrets (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)<em>

Carrie Stagler and her husband John Parker were waiting at their outside table at the Tropics Bar & Grill at the Hilton Hawaiian Village when Steve and Catherine arrived.

"Hey, sorry we're late," Catherine said as Carrie and John both stood to greet them.

"No problem at all. We've been enjoying the music," Carrie said as she hugged her friend.

"Hey, John," Steve said, shaking the other man's hand and grasping his upper arm. "Welcome to the island."

"Thanks, Steve. Good to see you."

"John," Catherine beamed and pulled him into a hug as Steve and Carrie moved to greet each other. "So glad you're finally here."

"Me, too," John said. He motioned to the chairs. "Have a seat. What do you want to drink?"

Steve glanced at Catherine who nodded.

"What you've got looks great," Steve said, motioning to the beer bottles on the table.

John signaled their approaching server to bring another round for them all, and the four took their seats around the table.

"Sorry, again," Catherine said. "Things ran late at the office and we still had to make sure Cammie got out for a bit before we came."

Carrie waved off the apology and turned to her husband. "Oh my God, John, wait until you see this dog. She is absolutely gorgeous. And so smart." She laughed at Steve whose mouth had opened to speak. "I took the words out of your mouth, didn't I, McGarrett? I've heard you like to brag about how smart Cammie is," she teased.

Steve shrugged unapologetically. "It's not bragging if it's true."

Catherine chuckled with a roll of her eyes.

Carrie pointed at him and said, "That's debatable. But she really is smart, I'll give you that." When Steve went to speak again she smiled broadly. "You know I'm busting you. Nothing wrong with a healthy sense of pride."

He accepted her familiar teasing with a smile.

"Thanks again for the room, you guys," Carrie continued. "That was a fantastic surprise."

Catherine smiled. "Well, it's nice to get away without having to go too far, you know."

"We stayed a night for Cath's birthday," Steve said.

"I heard," Carrie said. "Hint, hint," she added, elbowing her husband.

"Thanks, McGarrett," John feigned a grouse.

Steve smirked in response.

"So," Carrie said, changing the subject as their server dropped off four beer bottles. "You got the sheeeeets."

Steve and Catherine exchanged a quick smile.

"We did," Catherine said.

"Those sheets are pretty nice, huh?" John asked with a knowing smile.

Steve flashed a look at Catherine. "Yeah."

"You're welcome," Carrie said with a grin.

"And they look great with the new comforter and curtains," Catherine said.

Steve nodded his agreement and took a drink.

Carrie smiled. "Redecorating, remodeling, a new dog, a _mortgage_," she listed. "Look at you two, nesting."

Catherine and Steve shifted a bit in their seats but neither voiced a denial and both were smiling.

After a moment, Carrie said, "Hey, I heard from Craig Hampton the other day."

"Oh, yeah?" Catherine said and took a drink. "How's he doing?"

"Good. He's stationed on Okinawa." She turned to the two men. "You remember Hampton. Grew up in the same town as me but he was a year behind me and Cath at Annapolis. Played lacrosse. Had a little crush on Catherine . . ." she trailed off with a teasing smile.

"Oh, he did not," Catherine protested.

"Well, maybe not a crush. But he _was_ interested at one point. You remember that night, don't you, Steve?"

"Yeah, I remember," Steve said quietly.

Catherine looked at him curiously.

"When was this?" John asked.

"Would have been, what? Early '99?" Carrie asked, looking at Steve for confirmation. She nodded to her husband. "We were waiting for you actually."

_Steve, Catherine, and Carrie were standing against the wall at a crowded pool hall in Annapolis waiting for a table to open up and for John to arrive. Steve and Catherine laughed as Carrie finished telling them about the last time she had played pool and the damage she had caused to a lamp in her friend's basement._

_ "It really wasn't my fault. That room was _way_ too small. And who puts a lamp that close to a pool table anyway?" she said._

_ "Sounds like an excuse to me, Stagler," Steve said with a smirk._

_He chuckled as she gave him a light shove in the arm._

_ "Ooh, there's Rose," Catherine said as she spotted the familiar face across the room. She pushed away from the wall. "I need to talk to her real quick. I'll be right back."_

_ With a quick smile at her friends, she weaved her way through the players at the various tables._

_ Carrie turned to say something to Steve but was interrupted when a tall midshipman approached them and said, "Carrie. Hey." _

_ "Hey, Craig." She motioned to Steve beside her. "Do you know Steve McGarrett?"_

_ "We've never actually met, but I've heard of you. Hampton," he said, offering his hand._

_ Steve nodded and shook his hand. "Hey."_

_ "Craig and I actually grew up in the same town," Carrie said._

_ "Oh yeah?" Steve asked._

_ She nodded. "Same high school and everything."_

_ "Go Monarchs," Craig added with a grin and Carrie chuckled._

_ Craig nodded to where Catherine was standing in conversation with Rose Goodman. "That's your roommate, right?"_

"_Yeah, Catherine Rollins."_

_He shifted his weight and rubbed the back of his neck. "She uh . . . she seeing anyone?" he asked._

_Carrie looked at Steve. "You want to handle that one, McGarrett?"_

_Steve balked. "Why would I want to handle that one?"_

_She rolled her eyes and turned back to Craig. "Short answer is no, she's not seeing anyone. But she's not really 'available' either. If you know what I mean," she finished with a quick glance at Steve._

"_Ah," Craig said in realization. "Got it. Sorry, man," he said to Steve._

"_No, we . . . you don't have to apologize to me. We're not . . ."_

"_See what I mean," Carrie said with a pointed look at Craig._

_Steve sighed and folded his arms but didn't comment further._

_After an uncomfortable pause, Craig cleared his throat and said, "Well, I'll see you around, Carrie. Good to meet you, McGarrett." _

"_Yeah," Steve said with a distracted nod. "You, too."_

"_See ya," Carrie said and watched as Craig walked away._

_Steve waited a moment and then said, "Catherine and I are just friends."_

"_Oh, I know you're 'just friends,' " Carrie said with exaggerated air quotes. "Believe me, I'm _very_ aware of that fact. I'm not even going to pretend to understand it though."_

"_It's just that I . . ." his voice trailed off._

"_What? You think it'll ruin your friendship?"_

_Steve avoided her eyes. _

"_Not . . . ruin," he said quietly. "Not exactly." _

_ She studied him, waiting for him to say more._

_ After a pause, he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and asked softly, "Why? She say something?"_

_Carrie snorted. "You two are something else." _

_When he raised his eyebrows as if expecting an answer, she said, "That's girl talk and that's classified, McGarrett."_

_ His lips twitched and he looked away._

_She sighed. "Let me just say this, and then I'm done. You're going to graduate in a couple months here, Steve." She waited until he looked at her and then continued in an earnest tone. "Seriously. What are you waiting for?"_

_Steve remained silent as his gaze shifted and he watched Catherine walking back in their direction. When she reached them she looked between the two._

"_Everything okay?" she asked._

"_Fine," Steve said._

_Carrie pursed her lips but didn't speak. She spotted John come through the door and waved him over. _

"_Hey, finally," she said as he joined them. "What took you so long?"_

Carrie sat up proudly at the table. "I like to think I gave you the nudge you needed to start seriously thinking about finally making your move."

Steve's eyes stayed on Catherine as he said quietly, "Believe me, I was already thinking about it plenty."

Catherine smiled at him. The familiar gleam in her eyes caused him to raise his eyebrows.

"For the record," she said. "If you hadn't finally made a move . . . I would have."

The corners of his eyes crinkled as a smile slowly grew on his face.

John held his beer bottle out toward Steve and Catherine. "Well, I remember that was the night we decided you two should _not_ be on opposite teams when we play pool. Way too competitive."

"There's no such thing," Steve and Catherine said in unison. They exchanged an amused look.

Carrie rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't start doing that now."

John laughed.

Steve took a drink and then said, "I think the statute of limitations on that rule has run out. Next time we get together," he motioned between them, "guys versus girls."

"Oh, you are so on," Catherine accepted the challenge immediately.

John shook his head and chuckled. "Some things never change."

Carrie looked to see that Steve had taken Catherine's hand and was holding it loosely on the table as he raised his bottle to his lips with his other hand.

"And some things do," she said with a smile.

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><p>Later, Catherine entered their bedroom with Cammie after taking the dog out for the final time that night. Cammie headed directly for her bed in the corner while Catherine looked at Steve who was sitting against the headboard with a pensive, distant gaze.<p>

She paused for a moment regarding him, but when he remained quiet she went into the bathroom to wash her hands and brush her teeth. She emerged a few minutes later to see he hadn't moved.

"What is it?" she asked.

He inhaled, looking over at her. "Huh?"

"You've been thoughtful ever since we left the restaurant." She slid under the covers but turned to sit facing him. "What are you thinking about?"

He paused, and then said, "Do you ever . . . I mean, we were friends for almost three years before we got together."

"Yeah," she said and waited for him to continue.

After another pause he asked, "Do you ever regret that we waited?"

She shook her head and took his hand in hers. "I don't regret anything about the course our relationship has taken."

He looked down at their joined hands and rubbed his thumb against hers. "Even when I broke it off?" he asked quietly and glanced back up.

She held his gaze and said, "Even that. Because while it was painful at the time, in the long run it was . . ." she paused and licked her lips, searching for the right words. "It was almost a good thing. Because when we found our way back to each other–"

"You mean when I realized I'd made the biggest mistake of my life and good fortune led me to your table at that bar in Bangkok?"

She gave him a small smile. "Yes, that." She squeezed his hand. "It was crystal clear to me then that I wanted to be with you. _Only_ you. And that absolute clarity came from our brief time apart."

He exhaled a slow breath and his eyes never left hers. "I'll never stop thinking of it as a mistake. But it was a mistake that clarified things in my head, too." He shook his head. "And I'll never stop being grateful that you still wanted to be with me. That you forgave me for hurting you."

She covered their joined hands with her other hand and smiled softly.

He reached out with his other hand to cup the back of her neck and leaned forward to kiss her.

"I love you, Catherine," he said when he pulled back.

She smiled. "And I love you." She raised one hand to his cheek. "And I don't regret that we waited to say those words, either. No matter what anyone else says about it."

The corner of his mouth twitched up in a half smile. "Because you've always known?"

She shrugged and said, "Well, I don't like to brag, but . . ." Her teasing smile faded with her voice. "But no. Because it's always been important that we do this our way."

He gave a slow nod, and she closed the gap between them to press her lips to his.

He broke the kiss just enough to say, "I like our way."

"Me, too," she said and kissed him again.

He shifted her to lie back and moved over her. She placed both hands on his cheeks and deepened the kiss.

As his lips left hers to drift along her jaw, she said in a breathless tone, "You know, it occurs to me our way often ends like this."

He turned his head slightly to kiss her palm and murmured, "You complaining?"

She guided him to look at her and said, "Never." She smiled. "Told you. I've got no regrets."

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed!<strong>

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